Friday, February 10, 2017

Feel safer?

When arrested for having a loaded pistol while flying, the aptly-named Rick Derringer noted that he'd flown over 50 times with such and never been stopped before. Sure makes me feel safer, but it sounds about right given the rate at which the TSA misses lethal weapons in FBI tests.

So while I don't condone his failure to read the signs while going through screening--his mistake is not exactly excusable or subtle--it does suggest that we might do well to try something new for airplane security. I wonder, for example, what portion of pilots are now certified to fly while armed? (the last data I could see indicated about 10% in 2008)